The Rangers Can Never Have Too Much Enforcement

With Dorsett Set to Return and Carcillo Playing Well, the Rangers Have a Lot of Grit on Their Hands

ENLARGE

The Rangers' Daniel Carcillo checks Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky during the teams' game at Yankee Stadium in January.
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By

Dave Caldwell

Feb. 27, 2014 10:59 p.m. ET

Seven weeks ago, the Rangers picked up Daniel Carcillo, the tempestuous forward who has sometimes been called "Car Bomb," from the Los Angeles Kings for a seventh-round draft pick—mostly because they needed a tough guy to step in for Derek Dorsett, who broke his leg.

The trade barely registered on the NHL's transaction seismometer. Carcillo, 29, was sort of like an office temp, or maybe more like a fill-in mechanic, with 41 career goals and 1,136 career penalty minutes. When Dorsett was healthy, it seemed, Carcillo would look for another job.

Well, Dorsett has recovered and was cleared to return to action, but he was a healthy scratch Thursday as Carcillo and the Rangers faced the Chicago Blackhawks at the Garden. Carcillo has fit in so well here that the Rangers have decided to delay Dorsett's return.

"The fact is that he's been out for seven weeks, and we've only had one real team practice, which was yesterday," Alain Vigneault, the Rangers' coach, said Thursday morning of Dorsett. "We'll give him another one, and then we'll decide what we're going to do moving forward."

As Rangers general manager Glen Sather contemplates what to do with captain Ryan Callahan before Wednesday's NHL trading deadline, Vigneault also faces smaller decisions like these, as a roster is assembled that, he hopes, has the chemistry needed for a long playoff run.

Carcillo entered Thursday with two goals in 15 games, but he scored only one goal in 26 games with Los Angeles. He has jelled with center Brian Boyle and forward Dominic Moore, who missed all of last year tending to his wife, Katie, who died at 32 of liver cancer.

"I just came here with my head down and worked as hard as I can," Carcillo said Thursday. "I think our line started clicking towards the end there. But we just got to keep it going."

Asked if he had an idea what might happen when Dorsett is fully ready to go, Carcillo smiled and said, "I don't think about that stuff anymore."

He said, "The only thing I can control is how I play and what they see. If they like it, so be it. Glen said the same thing to me. Hopefully it works out for me and hopefully it works out for them. I'm not putting words in his mouth, but that's basically what he told me. So far it's been good, but Derek's back, and he's ready to go, and I'm sure he'll be in this weekend at some point."

Dorsett, 27, had a mere three goals in 37 games before he was hurt, but he can kill penalties, unlike Carcillo. Dorsett can, and will, fight, too. Even though he has missed 18 games, Dorsett still leads the Rangers in fighting majors, with 9. Carcillo has one fight as a Ranger.

Dorsett, acquired last April in the seven-player deal that sent Marian Gaborik to Columbus, blended in, much like Carcillo, before he was hurt Jan. 3 against Pittsburgh.

Dorsett said of Carcillo, "Obviously, he's been playing well. You need a lot of guys like that. Whenever you can get a guy who plays as hard as he does and brings that grittiness, every team needs a guy like that. No competition. We're good friends."

No shocker there.

There could be spots on the team for both, with forward Mats Zuccarello out for another two or three weeks after breaking his hand blocking a shot for Norway in the Winter Olympics. Zuccarello's spot on the third line is being taken by J.T. Miller, for the time being.

Miller, 20, the former first-round draft choice, has been sent to the Rangers' top farm club in Hartford four times this year, then recalled four times. He had three goals and 14 assists in 18 games in his most recent stint in Hartford.

"I understand the situation with the numbers throughout the year, and, obviously, you don't want to see anybody get hurt," Miller said Thursday, referring to Zuccarello's injury. "But you want to stay ready, and when I get the chance here, I want to help the team the best I can. It's pretty simple, really."

The players at the bottom of the depth chart sound like they can live with whatever the coaches decide about playing time. All they really want to do is play hockey here. The Rangers are the fifth team Carcillo has played for in his 375-game career, but he wants to stay put.

"They treat you really well, so it makes you want to play harder," he said, "and, obviously, the fans are great."

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